Thill-tug



( o Model.)

1). SINGLETAR Y.

THILL TUG.- No. 370,899.

Patented Oct. 4, 1887 l vilmcnogm N. PETERS. PhutmLitMg-aphm. Wuhingflm ll 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EON SINGLETARY, OF UNION CITY, TENNESSEE.

THl LL-TUG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,899, dated October 4, 1887.

Application filed October 13, 1886. Serial No. 216,274.

D., a citizen of the United States, residing at Union City, in the county of Obion and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stirrups and Straps for Harness-Saddles,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in thill-tugs; and it consists of the peculiar combination and novel construction and arrangement of the various parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an improved loop of simple and durable construction for supporting the shafts of a vehicle, and to provide novel means for suspending the loop from the saddle, which shall wholly dispense with the use of leather straps, as commonly practiced, and replace the same by suspending devices which shall be more durable and cheaper.

A further object of my invention is to provide improved meansfor connecting the holdback-strap of the harness, so that the latter strap is not connected with the shafts, the device to which the said strap is connected acting against a fixed stop on the shaft in backing the vehicle, so that the shafts are prevented from passing freely through their supportingloops, and thus prevent the vehicle from coming in contact with the haunches of the animal.

A further object of my invention is to dispense with the buckle which connects the harness-saddle and the girth or belly-band and substitute therefor an improved device of more simple and durable construction which can be operated in amoments time to attach and disengage the girth and saddle, as more fully described presently.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates my invention in position upon an animal. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a bar ness-saddle with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the parts of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, in which like let-.

ters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates a harness-saddle of any approved or preferred pattern, and

(No model.)

having the terrets B and the girth or bellyband 0, which is attached permanently thereto at one end, as is usual.

D designates the loop or ring of my-invention for the left shaft, through which the front end of the shaft of the vehicle is passed. This loop or ring is provided with three auxiliary or supplementalloopaE, F, and G, which are all cast in a single piece of metal. The auxiliary loops are arranged on substantially the same plane or in line with each other, the end orupper and lower loops, F G, being arranged on opposite sides of the ring, and the loop E is arranged intermediate of the end loops and in rear of the ring D. To the upper loop, F, of the ring is pivotally connected the lower end of a link, H, which is formed of metal, and is bent around the end bar of the said loop. A similar loop, I, is connected to the upper end of thelink H,and so on throughout the series, until the uppermost link may be attached to the terret of the harness-saddle. In lieu, however, of a series of these flexibly connected links, I prefer to employ two or three of the links and connect the uppermost one to the terret of the harness-saddle by means of an unyielding metallic bar or plate, J, which is flexibly connected to the upper link and rigidly afiixed to the harnesssaddle. The links H I may be each bent from a single piece of stout wire with thefree endsthereofconnected to the cross-bars and the end bar of the loop F; or thesaid links may be formed from a flat piece or plate of metal similar to the plate or bar J. By adding or removing one or more links of the series the harness can be fitted to animals of different sizes, or the shafts may be supported higher Or lower, as desired. By thus providing the metallic links and plate and pivotally connecting them together I provide an improved suspending means for the shaft-supporting ring of the harness which is greatly superior to the leather suspendingstrap heretofore used in points of strength and durability, as well as cheapness and neatness.

A link, K, is pivotally connected to the end bar of the lower loop,G,and this link depends below the loop to which it is connected and receives a snap-hook, 7c, of any preferred pattern,that is secured to the free end of the bellyband or girth of the harness, whereby an improved connection is provided for the bellyband which can be instantly operated to connect and detach the said band from the saddle andthereby facilitate aremoval of the harness from the animal.

The holdback-strap L of the harness leads from the breeching to the shaft supporting ring D, and the front end of this strap is connected to the rearwardly-extending loop E of the ring D, which latter receives and supports the front end of the shaft and impinges against a fixed stop, 1, that is arranged on the under side of the shaft.

The manner of applying my improved tug is obvious from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the advantages to be derived from its use will be readily appreciated. It is espeeially adapted for use on the shafts of those vehicles which are provided with horse-detaehers, as it has been found in practice that the whiffletree would be released and the holdback still be connected to the shafts when the ordinary tugs are used.

By using my device it is necessary to release the whiffietree only, when the animal will pass out of the shafts, the tug slipping readily oft the front end thereof and carrying the holdback attached to the supplemental loop. It will be seen, also, that the work of unharnessing is greatly lessened and facilitated.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire-to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Athill-tug consisting of the ring D and the loops E F G, arranged to one side of the ring, all of said'loops being in the same vertical plane, the end loops extending above and below the ring and the intermediate loop being in the same horizontal plane therewith, substantially as specified.

2. A thill-tug comprising a ring and a series of loops arranged to one side of the ring, the end loops of the series being provided with one or more links, H K, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the thill-tug, consisting of the ring D and the loops E F G, arranged to one side of and integral with the ring D,all of said loops beingin the same vertical plane and with the thill adapted to engage with the said ring D,of the holding-back strap L, secured to one side of the central loop,

E,and the stop Z,seeured to the thill,and against which the ring D is adapted to impinge, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DON SINGLETARY.

W'itnesses:

O. S. TALLEY, J. SINGLETARY. 

